Project "Obie" Got it's first parts.

[baddawgcustoms]

The first car I ever saw that really made me say "I gotta have one of those", was a T-bucket. Must have only been 8 or 9 years old. Then when I was about ten, my uncle bought a 26 model T and I spent the next several years helping him restore it. My father owned an automotive machine shop and raced midgets way back in the day, and also was the tech-man at our local dirt track, so With that said, I was destined to be a gearhead and I've had some really nice old cars through the years, but always wanted to build one from ground up. I tried my hand at building custom bikes for a while, but when the economy when in the tank, and so did bike sales. Bad Dawg Customs was the name of my little side business with harleys, so that's where the name came from.

The reason I'm calling this project Obie, is that was my grandfathers name. I bought his 72 C10 that he bought new a few years back, and my son loved the truck so much I gave it to him. He wound up with a nice 396 a while back and he has been dying to put it in the truck we also named "Obie" Long story longer, the truck had a 307 with a 3 speed in it, and the truck only has 34,000 original miles. Motor runs great and has never been touched, except for the carb and intake. So I pulled the old motor, and now it's going in my T. (taking a little bit of grandpa with me) I know the 307 was not a great motor on power, and gas mileage was bad as well, but in a 1500 lb car, she's be plenty strong and my racing days are behind me. My wife bought me a T radiator for my birthday, I have the good running motor and trans, and Mr. Ron at RPM is bringing my 10" stretch body to south Georgia in a couple of weeks, so I should be making some progress really soon. I have the frame mocked up in 2x4's in the shop floor right now, and was tempted to sit in the frame and make those vroom vroom noises but I'm patiently waiting on the body for that. My plans are to make a very low 23 hot rod meets 27 lakester. The ten inch stretch looks a lot like the 27 cowl, but I still love the high back of the 23, and Ron's stretcher fits exactly what I'm trying to do. Only photo I have so far is the old truck motor before it found it's way to my shop floor, but hope to have a few more up in a couple of weeks. My wife says I have become obsessed. I've read every book I could get, looked through thousands of pictures on line, read all the tech articles, and spent hours upon hours on this sight looking at pictures and posts from you guys, and I appreciate each and every one for the help and advice I've been given already. It was a tremendous help getting me pointed in the right direction. Been reading about it, and talking about it, now it's time to get it done!

 

[meangreen]

Go for it, Dale. I took my first ride in a hot rod in 1961 (I was 13) and have been hooked ever since. I didn't get the chance to start building my own for several years after that (1968). I built a T-bucket frame from 4-inch channel iron, a '56 Chevy rear end and a '48 Ford axle with the spring moved behind the axle. That first attempt got scuttled by a lack of money; I was a college student and lost my summer job... I eventually sold the axle and rear end and the local "scrapper" hauled the frame away to clean up my parents' yard, but the idea was still with me. I finally realized my dream of building a hot rod in 1976 (a C-Cab delivery) and I have been at it continuously since then. One of the most gratifying feelings in the world of automobiles is the first test drive in a car you have built yourself.

I see in your profile that you live in Byron, GA, home of Byron "Middle Georgia" Speedway. There is a big race car & hot rod meet there in the spring. Have you been to it? I sure wish that place could re-open as a race track; it has a great history.

 

[bigblk1177]

Sounds Great will follow along

 

[baddawgcustoms]

Go for it, Dale. I took my first ride in a hot rod in 1961 (I was 13) and have been hooked ever since. I didn't get the chance to start building my own for several years after that (1968). I built a T-bucket frame from 4-inch channel iron, a '56 Chevy rear end and a '48 Ford axle with the spring moved behind the axle. That first attempt got scuttled by a lack of money; I was a college student and lost my summer job... I eventually sold the axle and rear end and the local "scrapper" hauled the frame away to clean up my parents' yard, but the idea was still with me. I finally realized my dream of building a hot rod in 1976 (a C-Cab delivery) and I have been at it continuously since then. One of the most gratifying feelings in the world of automobiles is the first test drive in a car you have built yourself.

I see in your profile that you live in Byron, GA, home of Byron "Middle Georgia" Speedway. There is a big race car & hot rod meet there in the spring. Have you been to it? I sure wish that place could re-open as a race track; it has a great history.

They have started having some really nice events at the old Byron track in the last few years. Yes I've been to one of the car shows and also a dukes of hazard reunion meet and that was just cool. I grew up watching all the big greats in nascar racing on that track. It was a big stop on the circuit back then. Unfortunately with all the houses that have popped up around it since it shut down, they would never let it open again. Crying shame. A lot of terrific memories with my dad there.

 

[baddawgcustoms]

Only thing I could think of when I screwed the wood frame together was....."let me measure that again....it looks REALLY SMALL!"

 

[meangreen]

Sometimes these things do seem really small until you start hanging axles and bodies in place. My Track-T has a 97 inch wheelbase. Both of my C-Cab deliveries (built on T-bucket style frames) had 96 inch wheelbases. My son's old T-bucket had a 98 inch wheelbase. I have attached a copy of the frame plan I have been using for over 30 years just for reference. I have used this plan simply because I like the look of a frame that tapers slightly toward the front. The three different rear sections are for different bodies (pickup, turtle deck, and C-Cab). The lower rails are shown for a standard length body. If you are using a stretched body you would add the same stretch to those rails. Example: the rails as shown are 84 1/4 inches on the long side. With a 10 inch stretched body that dimension would change to 94 1/4.

It's purely a matter of personal preference, but I think proportion is THE critical thing affecting the looks of any hot rod. When I see an open-wheel car that has six or eight inches between the engine and the firewall and another foot of open space between the engine and the radiator, it just looks stupid and shows poor planning. As a rule of thumb, if you are running a small bock Chevy engine with a long water pump, conventional fan, and HEI distributor you need 35 inches between the firewall and radiator. You can give it a couple of extra inches if you're planning for a blower drive in your future, but more than that and proportion starts to go awry. I always position the body first, then the engine, and then the radiator. I don't care if the frame and front axle are sticking out 3 feet in front of the radiator; that looks better than a bunch of dead space between the firewall, engine, and radiator. Building that wood frame mockup is a good idea; you can get a definite idea of where you want things located and how they will look all together.

 

[Bennett]

BDC, I'm looking forward to watching your build progress. Keep us posted.

 

[bobs66440]

Looks like a great start! You should have it done by the new year, right?

 

[baddawgcustoms]

Sometimes these things do seem really small until you start hanging axles and bodies in place. My Track-T has a 97 inch wheelbase. Both of my C-Cab deliveries (built on T-bucket style frames) had 96 inch wheelbases. My son's old T-bucket had a 98 inch wheelbase. I have attached a copy of the frame plan I have been using for over 30 years just for reference. I have used this plan simply because I like the look of a frame that tapers slightly toward the front. The three different rear sections are for different bodies (pickup, turtle deck, and C-Cab). The lower rails are shown for a standard length body. If you are using a stretched body you would add the same stretch to those rails. Example: the rails as shown are 84 1/4 inches on the long side. With a 10 inch stretched body that dimension would change to 94 1/4.

It's purely a matter of personal preference, but I think proportion is THE critical thing affecting the looks of any hot rod. When I see an open-wheel car that has six or eight inches between the engine and the firewall and another foot of open space between the engine and the radiator, it just looks stupid and shows poor planning. As a rule of thumb, if you are running a small bock Chevy engine with a long water pump, conventional fan, and HEI distributor you need 35 inches between the firewall and radiator. You can give it a couple of extra inches if you're planning for a blower drive in your future, but more than that and proportion starts to go awry. I always position the body first, then the engine, and then the radiator. I don't care if the frame and front axle are sticking out 3 feet in front of the radiator; that looks better than a bunch of dead space between the firewall, engine, and radiator. Building that wood frame mockup is a good idea; you can get a definite idea of where you want things located and how they will look all together.

View attachment 8796

Yes sir I will agree that all that empty space is one thing I want to avoid. I'm building a metal stand for the motor and trans to locate them the hight i want them and get it perfectly level. Then I will put my wood frame around the engine, mount my radiator, shroud and install my electric fan and shroud. Then slide it as close to the engine as I can, then sit the body as close to the back side of the engine as I can. My wood frame is 6 inches longer in the front and back than what I think I need. I'm putting the four corners of the frame on rolling casters at the ride height I want. That will make it easy to mount the radiator, and just roll it up to the engine. Then just sit the body on up to the engine, and trim the frame accordingly. This way the frame is at the correct height as well as the engine/trans, then roll the dif with the right size tires where I want it placed, and measuring the rear kick will be easy, and getting the correct springs. I do like the look of a tapered frame and if I decide to go suicide up front I may do that, but right now I'm planning on 1/4 ellip up front mounted to the frame rail so straight frame would be easier. That's the good thing about the wood, it's ez to change! It may sound backward saving the font suspension till last, but in my thinking I'll get everything in place and determine which front end components will work best with the rest of the car before I start cutting the metal.

 

[baddawgcustoms]

Came back from a couple of days out of town to find my new radiator had arrived! Very happy to receive the FIRST NEW PART for my new little hot rod......until.......I open the box to find the mounting tab appears to have been wacked with a BAH!! I was happy with the quality of it, and the welds looked very nice. Nice big tabs on the back to mount the fan shroud I had intended to build this weekend. I did measure it pretty well, so maybe I will get started anyway. I was hoping to mount the radiator, build the shroud and bolt the electric fan in place so I can set the engine/trans as close to the front as possible, and have it ready for the RPM body next weekend. It's all good, and I may even build a plywood radiator replica right quickly, and just use it through a lot of the build process, and at least when the NEW new radiator gets here it would keep me from damaging it around the shop.

I did sit the radiator on my mock up frame, and with the mounting tabs even with the top of the frame, the top of the radiator will be dead level with the top of the cowl, but the radiator is only 4 1/2 inches from the ground.

 

[meangreen]

My last C-Cab delivery only had about 4 inches of clearance under the radiator so I bent and welded a 3/16 x 2 steel strap across under it. One night I was rolling along about 60 mph and, because of traffic around me, couldn't dodge a dead armadillo. I hit that poor cadaver hard and dead center with the bottom of my radiator. I just knew it had to bust the bottom tank loose at the seams, but I didn't see any steam and didn't smell anti-freeze, so I kept rolling with an eye on the temp gauge - no problems. When I got home I had to wash away some dried blood and pick some pieces of armadillo shell out of the fins, but there was no damage to the radiator...

 

[EX JUNK]

My car sits rather low and I have 5 1/2" ground clearance on the radiator. I measured the radiator and it is 23" tall with 1/2" clearance at the top of the grill shell. I might also add the the ground clearance on my front axle is 5 1/8".

Jim

 

[baddawgcustoms]

The

My car sits rather low and I have 5 1/2" ground clearance on the radiator. I measured the radiator and it is 23" tall with 1/2" clearance at the top of the grill shell. I might also add the the ground clearance on my front axle is 5 1/8".

Jim

radiator I have is 24 tall x 18 1/2 wide. Probably should have ordered a little shorter radiator but it's suppose to fit the speedway 5" wide T radiator shell perfectly, is the reason I got it. I wanted the wide shell to tuck the shroud and fan neatly up inside of it. I think it will still work fine (when I get a radiator that's not bent). As soon as I get the shroud in I may play with the wood frame a little and bring it in closer to the shroud and mount them on top of the frame. Been toying with the idea of a tapered frame anyway, so when I get the body next week I think I will build another mock up frame, sit the body and radiator on both and see which I like the looks of better before I start cutting up the steel. I found 1 1/2 x 3 in 1/4 wall that I decided to go with. Still less weight than 2x3 in 3/16. I just liked the idea if being able to tap frame for tabs and such with a little more bight. Will be a couple of weeks before the steel is delivered. I have some 3/8 plate I will probably build a skid plate tight under the radiator as meangreen suggested and stay the heck away from opossums and armadillos!

 

[meangreen]

Wow, 1/4 wall! You won't have any strength problems there! Actually, the extra weight will help improve the ride quality. I built my first C-Cab with 3/16 wall material and I was able to drill and tap holes for several items; headlight stanchions, radiator mount, brake and fuel line clips, etc. I used fine threads for all the tapped holes and never had a problem.

 

[EX JUNK]

Wow, 1/4 wall! You won't have any strength problems there! Actually, the extra weight will help improve the ride quality. I built my first C-Cab with 3/16 wall material and I was able to drill and tap holes for several items; headlight stanchions, radiator mount, brake and fuel line clips, etc. I used fine threads for all the tapped holes and never had a problem.

I built mine the same way and have not had any problems. You did bring out one important point that many are not aware of and that is to tap all holes with fine thread, very important.

Jim

 

[baddawgcustoms]

Wow, 1/4 wall! You won't have any strength problems there! Actually, the extra weight will help improve the ride quality. I built my first C-Cab with 3/16 wall material and I was able to drill and tap holes for several items; headlight stanchions, radiator mount, brake and fuel line clips, etc. I used fine threads for all the tapped holes and never had a problem.

I thought about this one long and hard, but the 1 1/2 x 3 in quarter inch is still just a couple pounds less than the 2x3 in 3/16, and was only a few dollars more. I know it's probably a little over kill, but I really saw no downside to it. My wheelbase will be around 112 inches, and I will be tapering the frame starting at the firewall down to 2" in the front, and I like the idea of being able to really burn the welds in good down the length of the frame where the taper will be welded back. I like the looks of the 2" dom front crossmember. Just looks a lot less bulky up front to me, but that's just me. After looking at a lot of photos....LOTS of photo's.....I'm actually building 2 more mock up frames. One will be the standard frame I already built, one 22" at the front tapered back to match the firewall, and one I'm doing a Z'd frame but the Z will start just behind the firewall. With the 10" stretch I'll be able to hide the Z'd part under the body rather than exposed. A 2x4 x 10 foot long is $4. (and I could use them to build some more shelves around the shop after I make a decision!) I have to finish organizing my shop BEFORE I bring the body in next week. I just can't stand working in a mess!! I'm just determined to have the design right, with the stance and profile I want, and THEN I'll cut some steal!! Sure am having a lot of fun already!

 

[EX JUNK]

I thought about this one long and hard, but the 1 1/2 x 3 in quarter inch is still just a couple pounds less than the 2x3 in 3/16, and was only a few dollars more. I know it's probably a little over kill, but I really saw no downside to it. My wheelbase will be around 112 inches, and I will be tapering the frame starting at the firewall down to 2" in the front, and I like the idea of being able to really burn the welds in good down the length of the frame where the taper will be welded back. I like the looks of the 2" dom front crossmember. Just looks a lot less bulky up front to me, but that's just me. After looking at a lot of photos....LOTS of photo's.....I'm actually building 2 more mock up frames. One will be the standard frame I already built, one 22" at the front tapered back to match the firewall, and one I'm doing a Z'd frame but the Z will start just behind the firewall. With the 10" stretch I'll be able to hide the Z'd part under the body rather than exposed. A 2x4 x 10 foot long is $4. (and I could use them to build some more shelves around the shop after I make a decision!) I have to finish organizing my shop BEFORE I bring the body in next week. I just can't stand working in a mess!! I'm just determined to have the design right, with the stance and profile I want, and THEN I'll cut some steal!! Sure am having a lot of fun already!

My frame is 20" inside at the rear of the radiator with 1 1/2" wide frame rails.

Jim

 

[baddawgcustoms]

My frame is 20" inside at the rear of the radiator with 1" x 1/2" wide frame rails.

Jim

One of the things I like about the tapered frames, is the way the radius arms/four bar/bones or whatever you are using, taper out while the frame tapers in. Just gives a nice contrasting line with a wider distance from your batwing to the frame, making those yellow lines I installed on one of your photos I posted below just look a little sharper. IMHO. How wide is your frame at the firewall? Didn't know if it was standard 1923 dimensions or if you stretched it to 29"?

 

[meangreen]

There is no real down side to using the 1/4 wall tubing. Overkill? Maybe, but if it gives you confidence it's what you should use. There are as many ways to build a frame as there are people building them.

My first C-Cab's (T-bucket style) frame was built from 3/16 wall tubing because I was able to get it cheap. It was recycled tubing cut from the bottom of a pair of damaged railroad shipping containers and cost $4! At the time (1975) I thought it was heavy because everyone else was using 1/8 wall stuff, but the finished car came out pretty nice.(see below) I built the C-Cab body from 2 x 2's, 2 x 4's, and 3/8 plywood and laminated it all with fiberglass which made for a pretty hefty body. The finished car weighed 2210 pounds which is a few hundred pounds heavier than the average T-bucket. It had a really comfortable ride, I think, due to its extra weight plus I got lucky on my spring selections. After that one I started using 1/8 wall stuff almost exclusively only because it's easier to work with (lighter and easier to cut). Except for not being able to drill and tap it, I've had no problems using it. The frame under my '31 Ford coupe is made to look like a Deuce frame, but it's all 1/8 wall 2 x 3 tubing; the car weighs 2490 pounds. My current roadster has a frame built from round tubing, double railed and triangulated, and the car weighs 1630 pounds. My point is, you can use whatever you like and make it work for you.

 

[baddawgcustoms]

There is no real down side to using the 1/4 wall tubing. Overkill? Maybe, but if it gives you confidence it's what you should use. There are as many ways to build a frame as there are people building them.

My first C-Cab's (T-bucket style) frame was built from 3/16 wall tubing because I was able to get it cheap. It was recycled tubing cut from the bottom of a pair of damaged railroad shipping containers and cost $4! At the time (1975) I thought it was heavy because everyone else was using 1/8 wall stuff, but the finished car came out pretty nice.(see below) I built the C-Cab body from 2 x 2's, 2 x 4's, and 3/8 plywood and laminated it all with fiberglass which made for a pretty hefty body. The finished car weighed 2210 pounds which is a few hundred pounds heavier than the average T-bucket. It had a really comfortable ride, I think, due to its extra weight plus I got lucky on my spring selections. After that one I started using 1/8 wall stuff almost exclusively only because it's easier to work with (lighter and easier to cut). Except for not being able to drill and tap it, I've had no problems using it. The frame under my '31 Ford coupe is made to look like a Deuce frame, but it's all 1/8 wall 2 x 3 tubing; the car weighs 2490 pounds. My current roadster has a frame built from round tubing, double railed and triangulated, and the car weighs 1630 pounds. My point is, you can use whatever you like and make it work for you.

View attachment 8867

Love the C-cab! I have an original 26 C-cab pickup frame, and what's left of the body which isn't much, and a 24 T frame with engine/trans still in it, and what is left of the firewall and body back to the doors. I'm actually hoping to get a title to the 25 to use for my build to make things a LOT easier at the DMV. It's a little easier here in GA from my understanding, than a lot of states can be. I'm planning on using the C-cab rear crossmember to mount the buggy spring in the back of my current project. I started to build up the c-cab frame as just an open seat truck with a big wooden bed on the back, and run a 2300 4 banger, just to use for parades and more of a novelty kinda ride, and still may do it after my little hot rod is rolling. And yes you can talk to 100 people I do believe, and get a hundred different ideas on frames, and none of them wrong i guess. as you said it's really all an individual choice, and that's what makes it so kewel! You've seen those crazy looking rides at shows, and they all sort of look like their owners in one way or another. I'm probably biting off more than I should for a newbie car builder, but sometimes it's not what you know, but who you know...you know? Everybody on here has already been such a great help, and with friends and T-bucket forums, I think I can pull it off. Just found out a little while ago my neighbor is a master sheet metal fab guy at Robins Air Force Base here in town. He just don't know he's helping build my hood yet!!!